Tomorrow we'll deal with some really heavy topics.
The bulk of our time will have to be devoted to famous OUTLAWS. Australia sports names of many brave men who chose to stand against their opressors, but the two who are the most important, and have become part of Aussie culture and mentality, are Ned Kelly and Ben Hall.
Ned Kelly (a Sydney Nolan's painting)
Ben Hall
And now something for film buffs among you (you are all encouraged to read/watch these materials, but there will be no questions on this part).
Since bushrangers chose OUTBACK as their real home, we'll also have a closer look at just how it is portrayed in modern culture.
I have already introduced you to the acclaimed documentary Not Quite Hollywood. Among films which are discussed there, are such golden nuggets of Aussie cinema as Razorback and The Long Weekend. While they are in no means of any (or almost any) artistic merit, they offer a surprisingly insightful description of "the red centre."
WHAT: make a picture that represents an Australian national park of your choice (see materials two post below)
HOW: use Aboriginal symbols as seen in the pictures below and make the picture resemble Dot Painting art. Yoy also may want to go to this blog - written by our former student to get a general idea what this style of art is like :)
ARRANGEMENT: this is a group activity. If you're still not assigned to any group, contact me please.
Today we talked about national parks in Australia and today Tourism Australia launched a promo campaign that can win you one of SIX "best jobs in the world" (AND a AUS100,000 six-month contract).
If you're lucky you can go and see these breathtaking national parks yourself :)
As I hinted last time, in the class you'll be involved in a number of activities both in groups and individually. And no, I'm not going to tell you anything in advance :-P
Study the materials below - they may give you some ideas what we might be doing ;)
1. New South Wales - this website gives you a good outline of interesting destinations in NSW.
2. Northern Territory - same here. You don't need to read everything in detail but browse the site to get a general idea of what you can do and experience in this part of Australia.
* Uluru National Park - you can go on a stunning virtual tour round the monolith by CLICKING HERE
Uluru National Park is probably the most special place for Aboriginal Australians.
I'm not asking you to watch ALL clips from this folder, but since they offer a really honest view on how Aborigines see the land, the presence of white people there, and sharing their culture with them, I strongly encourage you to see at least some. "Working together", "About Tjukurpa" and "We do not climb" are ones especially important.
* Kakadu National Park (visitor guide .pdf) - a fantastic, colourful guide to the park. No questions on it, but you may want to scan it for your own enjoyment if you have some free time ;-)
You know how much I love Aussie lingo so you shouldn't be surprised that we're coming back to the topic of LANGUAGE (disguised as multilingualism ;-) )
So surely you know English, right? And you've been exposed to Aussie accent long enough to understand everything, correct?
Let's check ;-) Here is the video we played in class last week:
1. As you remember it's a simple conversation between two lovable critters, somewhere in the outback. If you can - make a list of uniquely Aussie words and phrases that you can hear in this clip.
Then have a look here, and see if you can find their meanings.
2. English is not the only language which is spoken in Oz. Variety of languages are used in Australia - look them all up here.
3. But English and other European and Asian languages are only a part of the lingual mix. CLICK HERE to have a look at some data concerning Aboriginal languages and dialects. Even though sadly they are slowly dying out, they are a vital part of Australian history and identity. They will survive in BORROWINGS and GEOGRAPHICAL & PLACE NAMES in Australia.
4. The language reflects the temperament and personality of the people who use it. A short guide to Aussie Slang this way.
5. Finally read this text on Language and Identity. It's trully brilliant. (click the picture)
For real nerds
*** Australian accents and their distribution - Australian voices
For uber geeky nerds (or people who are planning to write their BA about Australian language next year)
*** AUSTRALIAN WORD MAP
Here is a list of "cult" Australian songs you may be familiar with and never knew they were actually Aussie.
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Now, the second big topic is MUSIC. Australians are a strange mob when it comes to it. As you remember on the one hand their tastes are very... well... "unsophisticated", on the other they have a much larger knowledge of opera and classical music than an average European.
Below you'll find a list of songs which are sometimes considered "iconic" (and at the very least most Australians would mention them if you asked for something "really" Aussie).
For general information go to Australian Wildlife website, and then have a look at this clip:
3. The last topic that you may expect some questions on is mateship and larrikinism. Once again we'll be trying to define "Aussie soul". I'm more interested in general attitude than dates and names ;)
That's a "catch-up" note. We have covered the roos and kids' TV programmes in class. But we will come back to Kings Cross (and crime related topics) next week, so please have a look at the materials.
1. Kings Cross (or a loving look at Australian crime scene). This is one of the topics really close to my heart.
Kings Cross is a wild mixture of prostitution and crime, with stylish restaurants and hotels. It has visitors of all kinds and although has some slightly run down areas has a certain quality to it as well.
Kings Cross is also home to one of Sydneys oldest areas, Wooloomooloo. Here, opposite the Artspace Gallery, you will find Harry's Cafe de Wheels, open for 18 hours a day, started in 1945. It is a must visit on the way home after a night out.
CLICK HERE to read more about this district of Sydney and learn some useful tips ;-)
Click the picture below to enter the world of Harry's Cafe de Wheels.
The soul of a nation is frequently defined by its outlaws. We'll be talking at lenght in the future about the likes of Ned Kelly, but on Monday we'll just have a look at present day criminals and their portrayal in various media (but mostly films).
Have a look at the clips below to get the feel of Kings Cross, but you don't really need to prepare any answers.
But you will have to do a bit of work for topic #2 ;-)
Some clips from the shows we talked about in the class:
Koala Brothers
A fantastic look at the Outback and the life there. Stunning voice acting with a variety of broad accents.
Dot and the Kangaroo
This is the whole movie if anyone feels like watching.
The film is one of iconic elements of Australian culture. It's the second ever animated Australian film, and a fantastic mixture of world views represented by the white and the Aboriginal members of Australian society.
